CALL FOR PAPERS
Unheard Legacies: Rethinking Early Recording Histories
University of Glasgow, 19 and 20 June 2026
Deadline: 1 February 2026
The Early Recordings Association (ERA) invites proposals for papers, lecture-recitals, and panel discussions for its Annual Conference, to be held 19–20 June 2026 at the University of Glasgow.
The 2026 conference, titled “Unheard Legacies: Rethinking Early Recording Histories”, aims to provide a forum for exploring lesser-known figures, geographies, and practices in early recorded sound. This conference seeks to provide a counter-narrative to US- and Euro-centric histories, centering underrepresented contributions in early sound recording. Continuing our tradition of engaging both academic and non-academic audiences, ERA welcomes submissions from early-career researchers, postgraduate students, established experts, enthusiasts, and collectors. Proposals may cover topics including, but not limited to, the following (all in the context of lesser-known histories):
- Early recording technologies and practices
- Early recordings as documents of historical performance practices
- Cultural and societal significance of early recordings
- Discographies and record archiving
- Database creation for discographic data and audio files
- Early recording collections and collecting practices
While we will consider all proposals related to the topic of historical recorded sound, proposals with a clear connection to the conference’s theme are particularly encouraged and will be prioritized. We welcome proposals for individual papers (20 minutes, plus 10-minutes for questions), lecture-recitals (35 minutes, plus 10 minutes for questions), and panel discussions (1 hour and 30 minutes in total). Please send your abstracts (maximum 300 words) and short biographies (120 words) to earlyrecordingsassociation@surrey.ac.uk, including the applicant’s institutional affiliation and contact details. Deadline for submissions is 1 February. The programme committee will communicate its decision by 1 March 2026, and the full programme will be announced by 1 April 2026.
Programme Committee: Eva Moreda Rodríguez (University of Glasgow), Inja Stanović (University of Surrey), Patrick Feaster (First Sounds Initiative), Nikos Ordoulidis (Kounadis Archive).
For further information, visit ERA website: https://www.surrey.ac.uk/early-recordings-association
